Method and apparatus for lifting concrete products



1952 H. c. BERCHEM, JR., ETAL 2,614,880

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LIFTING CONCRETE PRODUCTS Filed Oct. 29, 1948 A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 A/fi/W/Q MW kw OQMZW w g w flm 5 WAR? 4 Mw 3 n 6w IYRY P a a 7 :V/ z a h um a WWW 9w HH w Q 1 H. c. BERCHEM, JR, ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LIFTING CONCRETE PRODUCTS Filed Oct. 29, 1948 Patented Oct. 21, 1952 t t;

QU I EDS T Our-;-}inven tion -relates an improvement in ,and efficient mechanism for lifting and handling aiseries of; concrete products; simultaneously.

riyv iiioustypes of clamping; means have-been employed; for lifting concrete products. -Most .suchwdeyices have nottbeen found extremely helpful because of the fact that they grip (,the

block along the outer surfaces thereof, As a zresult in order to use theldevice it has been ts omen;

1 METHOD A APPARATUS FO 'LIFTING -CONCRETE PRODUCTS Hubert Jr., White Bear, Minn., and

n l laroldj l nl ierce, Detr0it", Mich.

I l. wApp lication october 29, 1948; Serial'No. 57,21 4

craz s, {01;12945-62;

method and; appartaus ,for; lifting concrete pro ducts whereinit isdesiredto 'provide 'a simple in pivotally supporting the ja'w s so they may remain firmlyengaged with the walls of the aperture regardlessof thepivotalrelation of the jaws with the remainderof the clamping apparatus. H it A further feature of the present invention lies in the provision of an elongated frame forpivotally supporting a pair of levers intermediate the ends-thereof and in providing clamping' jawsnon neoessaryuto separate eachblockor seriesof V blocks from remaining blocks so thatthegrip pine ic ma p operly en ge t e i i l i r l have; found that concrete blocks may be moregeasily and effectively handled by gripping the interior surfaces of the blocks, Virtuallyall types of 1' concrete blocks have openingstherethrough designed to form air spaces intheficon- By placing a series'of blocks in r t e. feature of the present inventionj lies in provision of a substantially horizontal; boom mountedfor pivotalmovementabout a vertically extending pivot supported byasuitable frame or vertical mast. A hoist is mounted upon the boom for movement longitudinally thereof. Our

elampingidevice is suspended below the hoistand by raising and lowering v the clamping device and by. moving the hoist longitudinally of the boom andpivoting the boom about its vertical pivot, blocks may be lifted piled, unpiled, loaded or unloaded in a simple andeffective manner. (z A feature of the present invention lies in the factthat in preferred form our hoistingdevice is; mounted upon a movable support :suchas a truckorrtheilike, and the truck may be used for loading or. unloading purposes, or for the other purposes previously mentioned. -1

ie lAn addedfeature of the present invention lies in the mounting of a pair of opposed clamping laws in suchv a manner that theymay extend {down into the apertures formed in-the blocks to permit the handling of the series fof blocks intunison. I l

added feature of i the present invention lies one end of eachsuchlever, ,The other=endsof the lovers are connected o; the hoist sothat the lifting pull upon the levers tendsato clamp the blocks together and to hold them in side byside relation between the blocks actually-engaged by the c p 1 V A further feature of the; present invention lies theprovision of an elongated frame iorsup porting theclamping levers and in providinga handlebar parallel to the frame and connected in spaced relation thereto forcontrolling the movement of the blocks beingqlifted. -{Ihe controlling barrpermits the operator toptand in spaced relation tot-the blocks-to preventdanger of injury-in the eventasfailureiof any part of the mechanism or of a block should cause the sameto drop. l w v s A further feature-of the present inventionllies inthe provision offan elongated frame for-sup porting; clamping jaws, in;the; provision of a handle bar; supported in spacedrelation 'to the frame on one side thereof and, in providing a counterweighton the other side of the frame to counter-balance the weight {of the; controlling bar. As, a result the device tends to: remain in a horizontal position to simplify the pilingor unpiling oif the blocks. 1Q 7 These and other objects and novel features of our invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and clai ns. a In the drawings forming apart ofour speci-v fication: 1 a ,Figure'l is a perspective view of atruckhaving our apparatus supported thereupon,

FigureZis a plan view of our clampingdevice v howing the general assembly thereof. Figure 3 is a', front elevational view of our clam-ping'device clamping a seriesof blocks, cer tain of the blocksbeingshown insection to, show the manner inflwhich the blocks are engaged.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through a portion of our device showing a'locking arrangement for holding the device in inoperable position. Figurefi isa sectional view through aportion of ablock and through a portion of ourclamping device, the position of the section being indicated by the line5- -5 of Figure 3; i

Figure 6, is a sectional view showingthe manner in which the clamping jaws are pivotally connected to the supporting mechanism, the position of the section being indicated by the line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of one of the jaws removed from the remaining mechanism.

Figure 8 is a sectional view through the connecting means connecting the levers and the weights leading to the hoisting mechanism.

Figure 9 is an elevation view of one of the links used in the portion of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 8.

Our block lifting mechanism is shown in general assembly in Figure 1 of the drawings. In this figure is illustrated a truck A having a body on which blocks may be piled. A vertical mast II is mounted upon the truck rearwardly of the cab |2 thereof. A horizontally extending boom I3 is pivotally supported upon the mast II for rotation about a vertical axis. A brace I4 is provided between the mast II and the free end of the boom |3 to assist in supporting the boom extending at substantially right angles to the mast.

A hoist |5 is supported by suitable rollers such as |6 so that it is movable longitudinally of the boom l3. The hoist l5 acts through a suitable hoisting cable IE to raise and lower a pulley block H. The concrete block lifting apparatus which forms the important part of the present invention is supported by a ring l9 connected to the pulley block l1.

As indicated in Figure 3 of the drawings the ring -|9 is connected by a pair of flexible cables or chains 20 and 2| to a pair of oppositely disposed lever arms 22 and 23. These lever arms are pivotally connected to a frame which will be described in detail.

The'frame of the block clamping device is indicated in general by the numeral 24. In the construction illustrated the frame 24 includes a pair of substantially parallel angle iron memhers 25 and 26 which are secured in spaced parallel relation by spacing members such as 28. The-angle members 25 and 26 are preferably arranged with horizontal flanges2'l and 29, respectively, in substantially coplanar relation with each other, and with vertical flanges 30 and 3| respectively in parallel spaced relation with each other. A pair of substantially parallel arms 32 and 33 are welded or otherwise secured in spaced relation to the horizontal flanges 21 and 29 of the angle members and extend onboth sides thereof. A handle 34 connects the forward ends of the arms 32 and 33 providing a means by which the clamping apparatus may be conveniently handledr A bar 35 generally parallel to the angle'members 25 and 26 connects the rearward ends of the arms 32 and 33 and supports a suitable counter-balance 36 which balances the weight of the handle 34 and other structure which projects forwardly on the frame.

A pair of spaced ears 3'! project downwardly in spaced'relation from the angle members 25 and 26 near one end of the frame 24 and a similar pair-of ears 39 project downwardly from these angle members near the opposite ends thereof. Themanner in which the cars 31. and 39 are spaced is bestindicated in Figure 5 of the drawings. A pivot pin 40 extends through the ears 31 and a similar pivot pin 4| extends "through theears' 39. The pivot pins 46 and 4| pivotally connect the'ears to the downwardly projecting ends 42 and 43 of the levers 22 and-23 respectively. In other words, the levers 22 and 23 are 60 and 64 maybe'inserted through the holes 53 and 61 respectively of the levers 22 and-23 to lock 4 L-shaped in form having generally horizontal arms 44 and 45 respectively and generally vertical arms 42 and 43. The pivots 40 and 4| pivotally connect the levers to the frame 24 along parallel pivots.

As indicated in the drawings a pair of spaced projecting plates 46 are welded or otherwise connected to the lower end of the lever portion 42 and a similar pair of spaced plates 41 are fixed t0 the lower ends of the lever arm 43. These spaced plates 46 and 41 act as supports for the pivotal jaws 49 and 50 respectively. A pivot 5| extends through the spaced plates 46 and through the jaw 49 to pivotally support this law.

49. A similar pivot 52 extends through the plates 41 and through the jaw 50 to pivotally support this jaw.

In view of the variations in the sizes of blocks and inthe sizes of the apertures in which the clamping device may extend, we preferto-provide a series of spaced openings such as 53 inthe lever arm 42 and such as 54 in the lever arm-43' in which the pivots 40 and 4| may engage. By changing the location of the pivots 40 and, the spacing between the levers 22 and 23' maybe regulated. Thus the levers may be-=movedto- 'gether or spread apart to accommodate blocks of varying thicknesses. Themanner in which the levers 22 and 23 are connected to the chains 2|| and 2| is best illustrated inFigures 8 and '9 of the drawings. Figure 8 shows the free end-of one lever such as the lever 22 and the manner in which it is connected to the chain-20. A pair of links 55 are pivotally connected to the lever arm 44' by a pivot 56. A second pivot pin 51 extending through the links 55 forms a removable support for the end link 59 of the chain 20. The formation of the links 55 is illustrated in Figure Qofthe drawings. 3 T A locking means is provided for locking the levers22 and 23 in inoperative position so that the'frame and clamping structure may be lifted and conveyed about with the jaws spread'ap'art so that they may be easily inserted into the blocks. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings a plunger rod 60 is slidably supported in bearings 6| on the frame member 32. The plunger '60 is engageable in a boss 62 on the vertical flange 3| of the angle member 26. The end of the plunger 60 is engageable in one of theholes '63 lh-llhe horizontal arm 44 of thelever 2-2. When the plunger 60 is thusengaged the lever amiis held from pivotal movement and the entire de vice may be lifted by the chains20 and 2| with out clamping the jaws together. A similar locking device is provided on the frame member '33 .engageable with the lever 23f. A plunger rod is slidably mounted on bearings on the frame member 33 and is engageable through a b0ss66 on the vertical flange 3| of-the angle member 26. In one position the'plungei rod 64 is engageable through" one of the apertures 61 in the lever arm 23 to lock the lever arm from pivotal movement. Theholes 61 are-similarin number to the holes 54 in thelever end-42 and insure that one suchhole will be alignable with the plunger rod regardless of which hole 54 the The operation of. our device can be understood from the previous. description. The plung'errods these lovers from pivotal movement. l-Th'e frame is then lowered upon a row of blocks B arranged in side by side relation. The lever arms 42 and #13 extend into apertures such as 69 in the outermost blocks Bof the series until the frame 24 substantially rests upon the upper surfaces of the blocks. The plunger rods 60'and 60 are then removed from locking position and an upward pull is exerted upon the ring l0, thus conducting an upwardpulling force upon the chains w and 21. This action pivots the levers 22 and 23 about their pivots 60 and ll exerting an inward force against the inner walls of the outermost blocks. This force presses the intermediate blocks together and presses the outermost blocks against the intermediate blocks with sufficient clamping pressure so that a series of the blocks may be simultaneously lifted. The blocks remain clamped until the upward force upon the levers 22 and 23 is released. It will be noted that the pivots t and M are located in the downwardly extending ears t7 and (i9 and in the vertically extending ears 2 and 43 of the levers 22 and 23. As a result a compressive force is urged against the blocks near the lower ends thereof holding the blocks clamped together at this point. When thus clamped the blocks are held from rotation by the frame 24. The specific location of the pivots 40 and M is of importance in the proper operation of our device.

The method we have developed of picking up blocks by extending interiorly of the outermost blocks of a series and clamping these outermost blocks against the intermediate blocks is of importance. Other clamping devices have been made for lifting a series of bricks or the like, but these devices have engaged the outer surfaces of the blocks in the clamping operation. Such an arrangement is not desirable for use with concrete blocks as the blocks are usually stored in piles and are piled in continuous rows on trucks and the like to prevent relative movement. By engaging in the apertures of the blocks it is not necessary to space the blocks so that the clamping means can engage the outer surface thereof and thus the lifting operation is greatly simplified.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our method and apparatus for lifting concrete products, and while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A block lifting device comprising aflpair of elongated frame members, a pair of L-shaped levers pivotally mounted therebetween, a pair of spaced arms connecting said frame members and projecting substantially perpendicularly therefrom, handle means connecting the forward ends of said arms, and downwardly extending gripping ends on said pivotally supported levers.

2. The structure described in claim 1 in which the arms extend rearwardly from the frame members, and including counterbalance means connecting the rearwardly extending ends of said arms.

3. A lifting device for blocks including an elon gated frame, a pair of downwardly projecting arms rigidly secured to said frame, a pair of L-shaped levers, means, pivotally securing said L-shaped levers to said downwardly projecting frame members near the lower ends thereof, said last named means engaging said levers mid-way between the ends of one leg of the L, and means engaging the other end of the L-shaped levers for pivoting said one end of the levers inwardly.

l. A block lifting device comprising an elongated frame, a pair of downwardly projecting frame members rigidly secured to said frame near opposite ends thereof, a pair of L-shaped levers having agenerally vertical leg and a generally horizontal leg, a pair of spaced apertures in each of said vertical legs, a cooperableaperture in each said downwardly projecting frame member,

a pivot removably secured extending through each of said apertures inv the downwardly projecting frame members and through one aperture of each of said vertical legs, and means connectedto the free ends of the generally horizontal, legs for pivoting the legs in unison.

5. The structure described in claim 4 and including means laterally extendable through said frame and engageable with each of said horiof saidvertical legs, means connected to the free ends of the generally horizontal legs for pivoting the legs in unison, a pair ofpins slidably' supported by said frame in parallel relation, said pins being engageable with the horizontal legs in one slidable position thereof and disengageable from the legs in another slidable position thereof, and means connecting said slidable pins for moving the same in unison.

HUBERT C. BERCHED/I, JR. HAROLD F. PIERCE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 424,825 Schefold Apr. 1, 1890 661,033 Brownfield Nov. 6, 1900 679,440 Tempest July 30, 1901 2,060,722 Breslav Nov. 10, 1936 2,076,204 Martin Apr. 6, 1937 2,170,706 Callaghan Aug. 22, 1939 2,277,235 Kidder Mar. 24, 1942 2,369,727 Falkner Feb. 20, 1945 Sonnenschein Mar. 9, 1948 

